1. Sinn Fein and the IRA
• Leaving Cert History
• Northern Ireland 1949-1973

2. Origins of Sinn Fein
• Established in
1905 by Arthur
Griffith
• By 1921 was the
dominant party
of Irish
Nationalism

3. Origins of IRA
• Emerged from the Irish Volunteers and
Irish Republican Brotherhood
• Split during Civil War 1922-1923

4. Origins of IRA
• IRA went through a series of splits up to
1969
• 1969 – IRA (and Sinn Fein) split into
– Provisional IRA and Provisional Sinn Fein
– Official IRA and Official Sinn Fein

6. British Withdrawal in 5
years
• IRA leadership wanted to inflict as many
casualties on British that public opinion would
force withdrawal
• Commence bombing campaign of ‘soft targets’ –
strategy to disrupt the economy.
• NI Govt. introduce interments - more IRA
recruits
• Events like Bloody Sunday led to more
volunteers joining
• Strategy proved a failure
• 1975 IRA call a ceasefire – lasts nearly a year

7. The Long War
• New strategy
• A 20 year war of attrition
• Attacks on military and economy targets –
including in the UK
• Led to consistent security repression in
Catholic areas

8. IRA prisoners
• Initially granted special category status
• British government withdraw special
category status in 1976
• IRA prisoners go ‘on the blanket’
• 1978 – protest escalated to the ‘dirty
protest’
• 1980 7 IRA prisoners go on hunger strike
• Ends after 53 days following promises
from British Government

10. 1981 Hunger Strike
• Bobby Sands elected to Parliament while
on hunger strike
• 10 prisoners die before hunger strike
called off
• Election of Sands leads Sinn Fein and
IRA to look at more political activity as
well as the military campaign

12. The Armalite and the Ballot
Box
• “Who here really believes we can win the war
through the ballot box? But will anyone here
object if, with a ballot paper in this hand and
an Armalite in the other, we take power in
Ireland”
– Danny Morisson Sinn Fein Ard Fheis 1981
• Sinn Fein won around 11% of the vote in
elections

14. Decommissioning
• Sinn Fein won around 11% of the vote in
elections
• After ceasefire Sinn Fein vote increased
• IRA decommissioned weapons
• Sinn Fein now the largest Nationalist party in
Northern Ireland
• 28 July 2005, the IRA Army Council announced
an end to its armed campaign, stating that it
would work to achieve its aims using "purely
political and democratic programmes through
exclusively peaceful means"

15. IRA deaths
• About 1800 died as a result of IRA actions
• 1100 members of the security forces
• 640 civilians
• 275-300 IRA volunteers killed
• Over 10,000 people imprisoned over the
Troubles for IRA involvement or support

16. • Presentation prepared by:
• Dominic Haugh
• St. Particks Comprehensive School
• Shannon
• Co. Clare
• Presentation can be used for educational purposes only – all rights remain with author